The present invention is directed to computer hardware and software. In particular, the invention is directed to methods and systems of a portable memory card device having wireless capabilities for interfacing with a host computing system. More particularly, the invention provides methods and systems of a portable memory card device being powered by light or solar energy and having flash memory and wireless communication capabilities. In order for the memory card device to be carried conveniently, the card device must be light, thin, and small and can communicate with a host computing system wirelessly.
Computing technologies have proliferated over the years. In the early days, large mainframe computers dominated the computing landscape. These large mainframe computers were developed by companies such as IBM Corporation of Armonk, N.Y. Mainframe computers have been replaced, at least in part, by smaller computing devices, such as mini-computers and personal computers, commonly known as “PCs.” PCs come in various shapes and sizes. PCs are often run using computer operating systems software such as Windows of Microsoft Corporation in Redmond, Wash. Other types of computer software come from Apple of Cupertino, Calif. Other types of PCs include larger desktop versions. Smaller PC versions are known as laptop computers, Tablet PCs, and “netbooks.” Still other versions of PCs can be found in even smaller devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), cellular phones, Smart Phones, and a variety of other forms.
All of these computing devices generally require some types of external memory devices to exchange information between the computing devices and other applications. As merely an example, external memory included magnetic media provided on sheets of semi-flexible materials covered with layers of ferromagnetic materials. Such external memory was often called “Floppy Disks” or the like. As the demand for more memory increased, floppy disks were soon replaced, at least in part, by hard plastic members with optical encoding on them. These hard plastic members were also configured in a disk like shape. As such, they were often called compact disk read only memories (CD ROMs) or more recently digital versatile disks (DVDs) or the like. Although these types of disks have had much success, limitations also exist.
As merely an example, floppy disks, besides their limited capacity, are unreliable and prone to damage. Floppy disks deteriorate with use. Dusty conditions, heat, or proximity to magnetic fields can all easily damage the disk. Sometimes a floppy disk that works in one computer will not work in another because the read/write heads in floppy drives can become worn, dirty, or misaligned, making a disk that is readable in one drive unreadable in another. CD ROMs are capable of higher capacities, but are slower than floppy disks in term of average random access time. CD ROMs lately are being replaced by solid state memory devices such as flash memory devices or flash memory for short. Flash memory (both NOR and NAND types) offers fast read access time and is extremely durable. Flash memory exists in many physical forms including MultiMediaCard (MMC), Secure Digital (SD), Memory Stick, xD-Picture Card, RS-MMC, miniSD and microSD, all featuring extremely small form factors. For example, the microSD card has an area of just over 1.5 cm2, with a thickness of less than 1 mm microSD capacities range from 64 MB to 32 GB, as of March 2010. An example of a flash memory stick is illustrated by way of FIG. 1.
As shown, FIG. 1 is a simplified illustration of a flash memory stick 100. The flash memory stick includes flash memory, such as one or more NAND flash devices. A small controller is coupled to the NAND flash device to allow communication between the NAND flash device and a computing device, such a personal computer, laptop computer, or others. In conventional applications, the flash memory stick is inserted into a serial port, such as a universal serial port, commonly called USB, to allow information to be exchanged between the flash memory stick and the computing device. Unfortunately, certain limitations exist with these flash memory sticks. Conventional flash memory sticks are often easy to carry but also prone to loss and damage. Additionally, flash memory sticks can be subjected to security violations since they are not secure in any manner. Although highly successful, these flash memory sticks can still be improved.
From the above, it is seen that an improved technique for external memory device(s) is desired.